


fighting words

by fridgefish



Category: Hockey RPF, Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: M/M, also I just named that one guy johnson, brad gets in a fight, he's not supposed to be anyone, this is a bit of a mess but I felt like writing something
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-22
Updated: 2018-10-22
Packaged: 2019-08-05 19:25:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16373591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fridgefish/pseuds/fridgefish
Summary: ‘Passionate to a fault’, was what his coaches had called him when they were trying to be nice.





	fighting words

**Author's Note:**

  * For [blindbatalex](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blindbatalex/gifts).



‘Passionate to a fault’, was what his coaches had called him when they were trying to be nice. 

-

The whole game was going to shit. Brad’s heart was thrumming in his head, and he barely felt the dull sting after a ruthless check that sent him careening hard into the glass. It was definitely time for him to end this shift, but he’d see it through until Bergy skated off. He was a bit slow to get back on the move, but as he quickly scanned the ice for Patrice, Brad caught a glimpse of the opposing team’s centerman fly into him. Bergy had the puck, but a check like that knocked him down to the ice. He smacked into the ice loud enough for the whole arena to hear, and his helmet was knocked free and skittered towards the bench. This team had been playing physical in the first and second period, but this hit was something else altogether. 

Brad barely registered the crowd’s roar after the hit. The outsides of his vision prickled black as he dashed towards the player in question with renewed adrenaline. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew this was asking for it. But sometimes he craved that friction, he loved the way this righteous anger made him feel. 

“Hey fucker, you don’t touch him like that!” he screamed in the face of the centerman. Who even was this guy? 

“Oh yeah?” A little shove from the other guy. Brad didn’t move an inch. “Why's you so worried? What’s got you all worked up, huh?” 

The roar of the spectators grew ever louder. The two were circling each other and Brad suddenly realized Patrice was still down.

“It was a dirty fucking hit, now let’s go.”

“I see, big boy! I got you all worked up now! You’re awful red in the face huh?” He shoved Brad with a little more force this time. “He’s your real good bud, isn’t that right? Your little fuck buddy? Yeah, your fuck buddy?”

Brad’s mistake was this: the smallest moment’s hesitation.  
Later, he would mull over a thousand times why he didn’t just mug him right then. It might’ve had something to do with what Bergy had whispered in his ear as he was leaning over to tie his skates earlier, his lips so close to the shell of his ear and his words so soft and promising that he couldn’t help but shiver. It might’ve had something to do with the sudden rush of emotions beyond concern for a good friend when he saw Bergy hit the ice. And some of that must’ve shown on his face, even for just a split second. 

“Holy fucking shi-”

Brad’s fist connected with his face one, two, three times when suddenly the centerman became dead weight. His left hand was still bunched in his jersey and Brad went down with him before being pulled back up by a ref.

-

_Now watch this play right here, Marchand has possession but it’s knocked from him after a nice check there, Bergeron still manages to grab the puck though and he’s just crossed the blue line when we see the hit- yep, he’s gonna feel that one. I’m not sure why the whistle wasn’t blown at that point, but play continues. Chara to McAvoy, passing that puck back to the defensive zone. Bergeron’s still down, he’s only just now starting to get up, and Marchand doesn’t like that, he goes right over to Johnson to have some words. Now, I don’t know exactly what Johnson says to him here, but it’s enough to get him pretty fired up, cause that’s one, two, and then his right hook will make it lights out for Johnson. Well, things aren’t looking so great for the Bruins, and it appears that for the remainder of the third period, David Pastrnak will be the only man from their first line still on the ice. We’ll be back after this short break._

-

“What did he say to you?” 

Patrice was propped up in a hotel bed with a bag of ice on his ribs. Brad hated how his breaths were still so gentle and shallow. Bergy left the game with nothing but bruises, thankfully. He had the wind knocked out of him, and there was concern for head injury since his helmet was knocked off. The two of them both missed the rest of the game, and the final score was one they’d like to forget.

“Brad? Did you hear me? What did he say to you?”

Brad didn’t turn to look at Patrice, but he pulled the comforter up higher over the both of them when he saw Patrice shudder from the ice on his chest. 

“What do you mean? It was a dirty hit, I went to take care of it,” he said in his most obnoxiously confident voice.

Patrice sighed. “Don’t play with me, Marchand. You’re pesky, but I’ve never seen you hit like that before.”

“He asked if I was mad about the hit because you and I were fuck buddies, and it threw me off guard, okay? Just dumb chirpy shit. I was already pissed. Conversation over.” Brad flopped back onto his pillow. 

Patrice pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. 

“Okay, I uh…” he took a deep breath and winced. “I don’t think I really want to talk about this either.”

“Great.” Brad helpfully interjected.

“However we will talk about this when I’m not so banged up.”

Patrice heard a soft grunt of affirmation from beside him.

“Well, we’d better get some slee-”

“I’d kill someone for you. I would.” Brad interrupted with a sudden ferocity. He had sat up and twisted to look straight into Patrice’s eyes. “When I saw you out there- I don’t- I know it’s part of the game but-”

Patrice guided his stumbling mouth to his and kissed him one, two, three times.

“I love you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading. feel free to leave comments or kudos!
> 
> you can find me on Tumblr [@fridgefishwrites](https://fridgefishwrites.tumblr.com)


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